1. Field
The present invention relates generally to a chair gad, and particularly to a reversible chair pad, and more particularly to a reversible chair pad having an incorporated slip resistant material.
2. Description of the Problem and Related Art
Chair pads have long been used to soften the seats of wooden chairs. These pads are often assembled of a casing constructed from one fabric so that the pad is roughly the same on one side as it is on the other. However, home decor may be subject to changing whims, and an owner of such chairs may become tired of the look presented by such pads. One costly option is to purchase new pads.
Frugally minded people may not wish to purchase an entire new set of chair pads. With these people in mind, pads were developed having casings constructed of two types of material so that different looks may be presented according to the owner's desires. A shortcoming of simply making the casing from two materials is that the downward facing side may still be visible when viewing the pad from the side. It may be desirable, however, to give the appearance that the pad is not reversible, but a pad having casing of one material.
One attempt to provide a pad that addresses this short-coming is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,469,523 to McGarvey wherein a reversible pad is constructed such that a first side of the casing is of a first material and the opposing side is of varying material. McGarvey discloses the addition of a skirt member to enclose the sides and part of one surface when the pad is desired to display only the opposing side of the pad. The skirt is drawn tight around the pad and the hem thereof drawn toward the center of the pad through the use of a draw string in the hem. The skirt is attached to the casing near the periphery of the pad only on one side of the pad, the side opposite that which the skirt hides. When it is desired to display the other side, the skirt drawstring is loosed, and the skirt is drawn back to the side to which it is attached, and the pad is simply placed on the chair on top of the skirt. The skirt is made out of the same material as that of the side to which it is attached. This design suffers from a complex design and inefficient use of the skirt in addition to a complicated process for reversing the pad appearance.
A more rudimentary device for achieving pad reversibility is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,691 to Putnam where the casing is constructed of two fabrics, one fabric for the exterior of the casing, one for the interior. The casing is provided with a zipper so that converting the pad involves opening the zipper, removing the pad material, inverting the casing, re-inserting the pad material into the casing, and closing the zipper again.
A further attempt to address reversibility is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,815 to Mintz for an article that can be converted from a chair cushion to a throw pillow. A cushion member is encased in two different fabrics on opposing sides. Attached to the periphery of the cushion are two flaps, disposed at opposing ends of the cushion, each flap attached to the cushion periphery along three edges with the unattached portion of each flap overlapping the other flap across the middle of the cushion. In the chair pad configuration, a pair of tie sets extends from the cushion casing to anchor the cushion to a spindle-backed chair or the like. In converting the cushion, the flaps are drawn back over the ends, with the tie sets tucked into the pocket of the flap disposed upon the side to which they are attached. The cushion is forced through the two flaps which are then drawn back across the opposing surface of the cushion such that they again overlap across the middle. The flaps are likewise constructed of the same two fabrics as those encasing the cushion, with like fabric of flaps and cushion casing being on the same relative plane so that a cushion encased in a single fabric is shown in either arrangement. This design arguably presents a better use of materials, but the inversion procedure is cumbersome, and stresses the seams of the flaps.
De Geus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,087 is directed to a reversible cushion made of two types of material forming a casing for a core. The two fabrics extend beyond the area of the core and are sewn together. The corners are reduced such that an aperture having a circumference less than that of the core is produced and &posed upon one side of the encased core. To reverse this pillow, the core is pushed through the collar which is flipped to the opposing side.
One problem common to the use of chair pads used on wooden furniture is that they tend to slip when a person seated upon such a pad shifts her weight. To prevent the pad from departing the seat, pad casings are provided with ties attached thereto which are tied around chair backs. For example, long known in the art is the use of pads with chairs having a back comprised of a plurality of spindles, where a pad typically includes two pairs of ties that tie to two of the spindles, securing the pad. This still does not prevent the pad from sliding upon the seat. This has also heretofore not been a technique for use in reversible chair pads to keep them secured to the chair on which they are used.
A design that attempts to address the problem of slipping is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,878 to Horning et al. where a panel of material having a high coefficient of friction is placed between the seat and the pad. Another attempt is shown in U.S. Des. Pat. No. 360,794 to Morin for a pad incorporating a panel of high friction material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,603 and its child U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,717, both to Cooper disclose a pad having a bottom panel with a high coefficient of friction. Of course, none of these disclose a reversible pad.
In view of the limitations now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new and useful Reversible Chair Pad which is simpler in construction, more universally usable and more versatile in operation than known articles of this kind.